Bill Cosby vs. Poor Black America

Hey everyone, hope you are all enjoying your summer. I came across this Op Ed piece in the Post by Michael Erik Dyson. It was written in response to the recent and ongoing controversial remarks made by Bill Cosby about "poor blacks".

Here is an excerpt from the article:

"Ever since he battered poor blacks two years ago in his infamous remarks on the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education , Bill Cosby has been taking to the road to spread his bitter gospel to all who will listen. In rigged town-hall meetings, Cosby assembles community folk and experts who agree with his take on black poverty: that it's the fault of the poor themselves.

It's often difficult to point out just how harmful that sentiment is, because most black folk do believe strongly in taking their destiny into their own hands. They believe in hard work and moral decency. They affirm the need for education and personal discipline. When they hear Cosby say that poor black folk should go to work, stay out of jail, raise their children properly and make sure they go to school, they nod their heads in agreement.

But it's one thing to say that personal responsibility is crucial to our survival. It's another to pretend that it's the only thing that matters. The confusion between the two positions is what makes Cosby's blame-the-poor tour so destructive. By convincing poor blacks that their lot in life is purely of their own making, Cosby draws on harsh conservative ideas that overlook the big social factors that continue to reinforce poverty: dramatic shifts in the economy, low wages, chronic underemployment, job and capital flight, downsizing and outsourcing, and crumbling inner-city schools.

None of these can be overcome by the good behavior of poor blacks. As historian Robin D.G. Kelley argues, "All the self-help in the world will not eliminate poverty or create the number of good jobs needed to employ the African American community."


Some talking points:
1) do u agree with Dyson's assertion that Bill Cosby has taken on the persona of the conservative idealogue with his assumptions about poor blacks?
2) Are factors like social injustice, low wages, unemployment and poor educational opportunities accountable for black poverty or is it the result of personal responsibility/moral depravity, or something else entirely?
3) Are Cosby's conservative ideals embraced by the Black middle class as a whole?



For the full article check out this link:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/20/AR2006072001631.html

For those of you who don't know Dr. Dyson, he is a professor from UPENN who has authored several books on race relations. One of his more recent books was released last year entitled "Is Bill Cosby Right? Or Has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind?". A book which deconstructs Cosby's 2005 NAACP speech.